Applying tabs in laser drawing

For all materials, parts smaller than 5x5 millimeters can be lost during the laser process. We cannot guarantee that we can supply residual shapes of small holes.

Wooden miniature cannons, by Hans van Nieuwkoop

If you want to make small parts, you must ensure that they remain attached to the residual plate. You do this by adding tabs in your drawing, these are a kind of small bridges between your drawing and your residual shape, or simply interruptions in the cutting line.

For thin materials such as resin board and paper, the use of tabs is recommended for shapes up to 50x50 mm. For larger parts, tabs may also be used to keep parts in the right place in the plate.

• Use at least one bridge for very small parts (< 10x10 mm)
• Use at least two to three bridges for larger parts (up to 50x50 mm)
• Use even more and possibly wider bridges for parts larger than 50x50 mm

When drawing small parts, take the cutting width into account.

Material	Tab size in millimeters
MDF 1.0mm	0.6mm
MDF 2.0mm	0.6mm
MDF 3.0mm	0.5mm
Plywood birch 1.0 mm	0.6mm
Plywood birch 3.0 mm	0.5mm
Plywood birch 6.0 mm	0.5mm
Resin board 0.5 mm brown	0.6mm
All types of cardboard	0.6mm - 1.0mm
All paper types	0.6mm